Department for Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Older People

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to improve housing conditions for older tenants in the private rented sector.

Gavin Barwell: The private rented sector is an important part of our housing market, housing 4.3 million households in England. The quality of privately rented housing has improved rapidly over the past decade with 82% of private renters satisfied with their accommodation, and staying in their homes for an average of 4 years.We are determined to improve standards for all tenants and local authorities have strong and effective powers to deal with poor quality unsafe accommodation and crack down on the small minority of rogue landlords. We expect those powers to be used. They include the ability to require improvement works to be carried out and prohibiting the use of a dwelling where it is unsafe.The Housing & Planning Act 2016 introduced further powers to help crack down on rogue landlords, including a database of rogue landlords and property agents, banning orders for the most serious and prolific offenders, civil penalties of up to £30,000 and extended rent repayment orders.

Local Plans

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2016 to Question 49099, of the 244 of local planning authorities who have an adopted Local Plan, how many of those adopted local plans are in conformity with the contents of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Gavin Barwell: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) asked local planning authorities to review their Local Plans to ensure they took into account the policies in that framework. Where revisions were needed, authorities had 12 months from the date of publication (27 March 2012) to comply. Since the NPPF was published, 128 authorities have adopted a Local Plan or a Local Plan review. The Government has regularly made it clear that it expects Local Plans to be kept up to date and it is the responsibility of individual local planning authorities to ensure this happens.

Private Rented Housing: Older People

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies on meeting the needs of housing for older people of Age UK's report entitled Ageing in Squalor and Distress: Older People in the Private Rented Sector, published in October 2016.

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the implications of the findings of the report by Age UK, Ageing in Squalor and distress: older people in the private rented sector, published in October 2016, on the proportion of older people who do not live in specialised retirement housing, for its policies on the accessibility of new and existing homes for older people.

Gavin Barwell: The private rented sector is an important part of our housing market, housing 4.3 million households in England. The quality of privately rented housing has improved rapidly over the past decade with 82% of private renters satisfied with their accommodation, and staying in their homes for an average of 4 years.The recent report by Age UK about older people living in the private rented sector provides useful information about the challenges faced by older people who rent privately. While the majority of landlords provide decent well managed accommodation, we know that a small number of rogue or criminal landlords knowingly rent out unsafe and substandard accommodation. We are determined to improve standards for all tenants and crack down on these landlords. Significant progress has already been made in doing this: £12 million provided to a number of local authorities to help tackle acute and complex problems with rogue landlords, including “Beds in Sheds”. More than 70,000 properties have been inspected and over 5,000 landlords are facing further enforcement action or prosecution;Introduced protection for tenants against retaliatory eviction where they have a legitimate complaint and stopped landlords from serving an open-ended eviction notice at the start of a tenancy;Required landlords to install smoke alarms on every floor of their property, and test them at the start of every tenancy, and to install carbon monoxide alarms in high risk rooms;The Housing & Planning Act 2016 introduced further powers to help crack down on rogue landlords, including a database of rogue landlords and property agents, banning orders for the most serious and prolific offenders, civil penalties of up to £30,000 and extended rent repayment orders.

Social Security Benefits: Homelessness

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Ministers or officials of the Department for Work and Pensions on the effect on homelessness of the new household benefit cap.

Mr Marcus Jones: DCLG and DWP work closely together to ensure that our policy priorities are aligned. The two departments are in regular contact at both ministerial and official level.

Social Rented Housing: Insulation

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what regulations cover his Department's policy on cavity wall insulation for properties in the social housing sector.

Gavin Barwell: The insertion of cavity wall insulation in all types of building must comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations 2010. This means that the wall must meet the current energy efficiency requirements for walls and that other aspects of the building, such as fire safety, ventilation and resistance to moisture, must be no less satisfactory than before the cavity wall was insulated.

Sleeping Rough

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have used Public Space Protection Order (PSPOs) to address issues relating to rough sleeping since the enactment of Chapter 2 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the use of PSPOs to address issues related to rough sleeping.

Mr Marcus Jones: We do not collect national level data on the use of Public Space Protection Orders by local authorities in relation to anti-social behaviour associated with rough sleeping.Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to deal with anti-social behaviour in public places where this is having a detrimental effect on the quality of life in our communities, and not to criminalise rough sleeping. It is right that local authorities, who know their area best, should have the powers they need to solve the anti-social behaviour problems they experience locally. The right safeguards are in place to ensure that PSPOs are used appropriately – councils must consult with the police and relevant community representatives before making the order and publish the draft order before it is made.

Housing: Land

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and which local authorities do not have a five year land supply for housing.

Gavin Barwell: We do not hold information centrally on how many local planning authorities do not have a five-year land supply for housing. A local planning authority's five-year land supply position changes frequently and is subject to market conditions. The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to keep their land supply under regular review.

Small Businesses: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many small businesses in (a) Calderdale and (b) West Yorkshire have claimed small business rate relief in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Marcus Jones: Local authority estimates held by the department show that as of 31 December 2014, 3,542 properties were in receipt of small business rate relief in Calderdale. In West Yorkshire, 30,830 properties were in receipt of small business rate relief at the same date. West Yorkshire is comprised of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, based on the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, level 2 definition.

Public Lavatories: Disability

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what evidence his Department provides to local authorities on whether the better care fund can be used to establish changing places toilet facilities for the disabled.

Mr Marcus Jones: Local authorities are required to develop Better Care Plans with Clinical Commissioning Group Partners. These are agreed by local Health and Wellbeing Boards and approved by NHS England. Plans must meet the national conditions set out in the Better Care Fund Policy Framework, published by government; and take account of Planning Guidance issued jointly by NHS England and the Local Government Association.The Policy Framework for 2016/17 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/490559/BCF_Policy_Framework_2016-17.pdfThe Planning Guidance can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/annex4-bcf-planning-requirements-1617.pdfThe Government does not provide specific guidance on the type of services or equipment that Better Care Plans should provide.

Social Rented Housing: Older People

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to review the effectiveness of the delivery of housing adaptations and repairs for low-income older homeowners in the social housing sector.

Gavin Barwell: Government is committed to helping older and disabled people to live independently and safely in their own homes for as a long as possible. Lower income older homeowners in the social rented sector may qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant to fund the provision of home adaptations. Government funds an organisation called Foundations, which works to drive up standards in the home improvement sector. Foundations' work plan for 2016-17 commits to mapping and reviewing activity across England to deliver the Disabled Facilities Grant, and the dissemination of good practice throughout the sector.The English Housing Survey's Adaptations and Accessibility Report 2014-15 shows that the majority of older owner-occupiers and tenants of social housing with a long-term limiting disability were satisfied that their home meets their needs. There are no current plans to review the effectiveness of housing adaptations and repairs for older homeowners in local authority housing.The English Housing Survey Adaptations and Accessibility Report 2014-15 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539541/Adaptations_and_Accessibility_Report.pdf

Public Lavatories: Disability

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many changing places toilets for the disabled are located within 25 miles of Retford.

Gavin Barwell: The location of Changing Places toilets, including those nearest to Retford, can be found using the Changing Places map at: http://changingplaces.uktoiletmap.org/

Social Services: Finance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department takes to monitor use of the better care fund by local authorities.

Mr Marcus Jones: Local authorities are required to develop Better Care Plans with Clinical Commissioning Group Partners. These are agreed by local Health and Wellbeing Boards and approved by NHS England. Plans must meet the national conditions set out in the Better Care Fund Policy Framework, published by Government; and take account of Planning Guidance issued jointly by NHS England and the Local Government Association. The Better Care Plan sets out how the Better Care Fund, the locally agreed single pooled budget, will be spent. Governance of the Better Care Fund; assurance of Better Care Plans and adherence to the national conditions, is provided through the NHS and government departments (Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government).The Policy Framework for 2016/17 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/490559/BCF_Policy_Framework_2016-17.pdfThe Planning Guidance can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/annex4-bcf-planning-requirements-1617.pdfThe assurance guidance can be found at: http://www.local.gov.uk/documents/10180/12193/BCF+Guidance/4d976fb7-8a66-482b-b427-06e15b0c0d01

Housing: Older People

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if the Government will take steps to ensure that all new homes meet standards of accessibility for older people.

Gavin Barwell: In October 2015, the Government introduced new, optional requirements for accessibility in to Part M(Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations came into force. The optional requirements include category M4(2) Accessible and Adaptable Dwellings which sets requirements similar to the Lifetime Homes Standard and which are particularly suited to meeting the needs for older households, and category M4(3) Wheelchair accessible dwellings which are intended to meet the need of wheelchair users. Local authorities can set policies in their local plan requiring either or both of these requirements to meet local housing need. The Government believes that decisions as to what proportion of new development should meet these standards should continue to be made at the local, rather than national, level.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Charities: Research

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to maintain the Charity Research Support Fund beyond 1 April 2017.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with medical research charities on the future availability of the Charity Research Support Fund in the event that a single public body replaces the research councils.

Joseph Johnson: Recognizing the public benefit arising from research funded by charities and that charities do not pay full economic costs – the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has maintained the charity research support element of Quality Related (QR) research funding at £198m pa through to 2016-17.The “Allocation of Science and Research funding 2016 – 2020” confirmed the Government’s expectation that throughout this period HEFCE should “continue to selectively focus funding on excellent research with impact wherever this is found … and to incentivise Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to work with businesses and charities, leveraging additional investment, and to supervise postgraduate researchers”. It will be for the HEFCE Board to determine how much to provide for charity research support from within their overall research allocation in 2017-18, once they have received their annual Grant Letter from BEIS.The creation of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will bring together the Research Councils, Innovate UK and the research and knowledge exchange functions of HEFCE. These later functions will reside within a new Council - Research England. Decisions on the priorities for allocating QR research funding for 2018 onwards will be a matter for Research England.

Minimum Wage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 46899, how much of the £8,157,919 of arrears recovered from the 815 employers issued with both a Notice of Underpayment and financial penalty was recovered through the self-correction mechanism introduced by HM Revenue and Customs in 2015; from how many employers those arrears were recovered; and how many of the 43,995 workers for whom arrears were recovered benefited only as a result of that self-correction of arrears by their employer.

Margot James: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) use self-correction in appropriate situations as an additional tool to maximise the impact of their enforcement activity. For example, where HMRC have investigated a National Minimum Wage complaint and found arrears, they have the flexibility to instruct the employer to self-correct for the rest of their payroll – freeing up HMRC staff to work on more investigations. HMRC follow up with a sample of workers to ensure employers have carried out its instructions. Self-correction has helped identify a significant amount of arrears and ensure it has been paid back to workers while only requiring minimal investment of public funds. Of the £8,157,919 arrears identified in 2015/16 from employers who were issued with a Notice of Underpayment and penalty by HM Revenue and Customs, £3,154,112 owed to 14,296 workers was identified through self-correction. In total, 67 employers reported additional, self-corrected arrears.

Minimum Wage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2016 to Question 39267, how much of the £2,065,874 of arrears recovered from the 145 employers found to be non-compliant with the national minimum wage but not issued with a Notice of Underpayment or financial penalty was recovered through the self-correction mechanism introduced by HM Revenue and Customs in 2015; from how many employers those arrears were recovered; and how many of the 14,055 workers for whom arrears were recovered benefited only as a result of that self-correction of arrears by their employer.

Margot James: In the above-referenced cases, 46 employers reported £688,695 of arrears owed to 3,341 through the self-correction mechanism.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hezbollah: Weapons

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the expansion of Hezbollah's weapons arsenal.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The UK proscribed the military wing of Hizballah in 2008 and maintains a no contact policy with the political wing. We are aware of reports that Hizballah continues to amass an arsenal of weapons in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1559. Hizballah’s arsenal has been increasing since the 2006 war with Israel and their involvement in the Syria conflict where they have provided essential support to the Syrian armed forces. It is estimated they now have tens of thousands of rockets (including sophisticated rocket systems).

Occupied Territories: Housing

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Israeli government on reports of a new illegal settlement at Shiloh in the West Bank.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: On 5 October I issued a public statement condemning the announcement of plans to construct a new settlement near Shilo. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) also raised our concern over settlements with Prime Minister Netanyahu when they met in Jerusalem on 30 September. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv also regularly raises our concerns with the Israeli authorities on the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

Israel: Palestinians

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received from UK diplomatic posts of the Fatah Facebook page praising a murderer who killed two Israelis and wounded six on 9 October 2016 as a martyr; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​We deplore all forms of incitement, including any comments that could stir up hatred and prejudice, and are aware of Facebook posts related to this attack. The Consulate-General regularly encourages the Fatah leadership to exercise more control over the many Facebook pages associated with the organisation. We consider that the track record of President Abbas and Prime Minister Hamdallah shows their commitment to non-violence.

Andargachew Tsege

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2016 to Question 50279, whether his evidential basis for the assessment of Mr Tsege as not being ill-treated relates to the meeting of 2 August 2016 and not later.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 14 November 2016



The answer of 25 October 2016 to Question 50279 related to the meeting of 2 August 2016. However, our Ambassador to Ethiopia has subsequently visited Mr Tsege on 11 November. Following this meeting we have not changed our assessment of Mr Tsege's general welfare.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Employment: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of EU tariffs and non-tariff barriers on jobs in Wales when the UK leaves the Single Market and Customs Union.

Mr David Jones: The Government is determined to get the best possible deal for the UK’s future customs and trading relations with the EU. The Department for Exiting the European Union is considering the full range of possible tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade across all areas of importance to the UK economy, and assessing ways in which these might be addressed.The Prime Minister has committed to working closely with the Welsh Government, together with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive, as work continues to analyse the options to ensure that we get the best possible deal for all parts of the United Kingdom.The Welsh Government will have every opportunity to have their say as we form our negotiating strategy. This includes through the new Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, which brings together constituent parts of the United Kingdom to develop a UK-wide approach to our negotiations. At the Committee’s first meeting on 9 November, Ministers set out their priorities for discussion at future meetings and agreed to develop further the proposed work programme to ensure its connection to and involvement with the process of negotiations.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Procurement

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which organisations were the top 10 recipients of her Department's contractual funds in 2014-15.

Rory Stewart: In 2014-15, the top 10 recipients of the Departments contractual funds were:Crown Agents, PWC, Adam Smith International, Mott MacDonald, DAI Europe, Palladium, Voluntary Services Overseas, Oxford Policy Management, Coffey International and Population Services International.

Department for Education

Written Questions: Government Responses

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to Answer named day Question 48230, tabled on 12 October 2016, by the right hon. Member for East Ham on Questions 43736, 43737 and 43738, tabled on 20 July 2016 by the right hon. Member for East Ham on the Bright Tribe Multi-Academy Trust.

Edward Timpson: Parliamentary question 48230 was answered on 11 November 2016.

Adoption

Mary Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide assistance with the adoption process to  British nationals who adopt foreign-born children.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education is responsible for legislation in relation to intercountry adoption; and provides guidance on the process. The Department does not provide advice on individual cases and independent legal advice may need to be sought. Prospective adopters habitually resident in the UK, who wish to undertake an intercountry adoption need to register with a UK adoption agency, who will lead them through the process. Information on the intercountry adoption process can be found using the following link:https://www.gov.uk/child-adoption/adopting-a-child-from-overseas

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2016 to Question 49914, on overseas students, what plans she has to revise the estimated number of potential (a) home and EU students, (b) non-EU students estimates across the 2015-16 to 2019-20 academic years following the vote to leave the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Any effects on the number of potential Home, EU and non-EU students following the UK’s exit from the EU will be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Pre-school Education: Vacancies

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of recruitment shortages in early years education on the Government's commitment to provide parents with 30 hours free childcare.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government recognises the importance of the early years workforce in ensuring that existing childcare providers can expand and for new providers entering the market, helping to build a stronger economy and giving parents increased choice. We want to continue to attract and retain good quality staff to deliver good quality early years provision and the Government has committed to developing a workforce strategy to help employers to do this. As part of this strategy we are reviewing career progression routes in the sector to see what improvements can be made to help new and existing staff achieve their potential and forge a successful career in early years. The Government has recently published a consultation on the literacy and numeracy skills needed to perform as a Level 3 Early Years Educator following strong messages from the sector that current requirements are creating a barrier to attracting and retaining high quality staff. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/level-3-early-years-educator-numeracy-and-literacy-requirements

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of employees who work for companies who will have to pay the Apprenticeship Levy who are ineligible to complete an apprenticeship by virtue of being temporary or seasonal employees.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with businesses in the tourism and associated service sectors who will be liable to pay the Apprenticeship Levy and whose seasonal or temporary employees will be unable to undertake apprenticeship training.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on permitting employers who have seasonal or temporary employees to access Apprenticeship Levy funding for other forms of training.

Robert Halfon: The Government is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of apprenticeships to reach the objective of 3 million apprenticeships starts in England by 2020. The apprenticeship seasonal worker pilot, which started on 1 April 2016 and is scheduled to end in July 2018, was set up to address employer concerns from within the hospitality and tourism sectors to enable apprentices to complete their training over 16-18 months, instead of 12, with a break in the middle to undertake other activities. Departmental officials continue to engage with a range of companies - including PGL, TUI, Merlin Entertainments, Eurocamp, Monarch Airlines and Parkdean Holidays - as well as colleges across the country to take this forward. From May 2017, apprenticeships that are started by seasonal workers under this pilot will be funded in the same way as other apprenticeships, including by levy-paying employers using funds in their digital accounts. They will be able to undertake an apprenticeship and receive all of the benefits that a quality apprenticeship can provide. There has been no assessment made of the number of employees who work for companies that will have to pay the apprenticeship levy who are ineligible to complete an apprenticeship by virtue of being temporary or seasonal employees. We are working closely with seasonal employers to understand their needs and support them to benefit from apprenticeships.

Vocational Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Post-16 Skills Plan, published in July 2016, whether there will be multiple qualifications in any of the 15 routes.

Robert Halfon: Each technical route will cover a range of skilled occupations with related training requirements. In many cases, it is unlikely that a single qualification per route would be able to cover the entire breadth effectively, and there may therefore be multiple qualifications per route, each focused on a different occupation or group of occupations. Although there may be multiple qualifications, the reforms will simplify and streamline the technical education system to ensure young people can follow clear routes to skilled employment.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to assess the potential cost to local authorities of implementing new IT systems to enable the move to the monthly payment system proposed in the Government's publication, 30 hour free childcare entitlement: delivery model, Government consultation response.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Education is committed to ensuring that we do not add unnecessary workload and cost to local authorities and has committed to undertake a new burdens assessment for the extended entitlement, to which we will respond accordingly. The department is working with an expert group of local authorities and early years providers, including childminder representatives and early years organisations, who are advising on technical aspects of local authorities introducing monthly payment systems. The department is also looking at how we can support local authorities to achieve this. The department is clear, however, that existing payment arrangements may already meet providers’ needs and we expect local authorities to work in partnership with early years providers to determine and operate the payment process that reflect their specific local requirements and provider circumstances.

Apprentices

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to ensure that careers advice in schools draws the attention of young people to apprenticeships so that they are aware of vocational training options.

Robert Halfon: Good careers education and guidance is vital in allowing every individual to climb the ladder of opportunity and find a fulfilling education or training route that is right for them, whether this is an academic route, technical route or apprenticeship.Schools have a statutory duty to secure independent careers guidance for 12-18 year olds. This must include information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships. The Government is undertaking a number of activities to help schools inform pupils about apprenticeships. The National Apprenticeship Service and its dedicated careers partners across the country attend a wide spectrum of school events to promote awareness of apprenticeships. The Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge for Schools Project is targeting support on those schools where there is clear evidence of little or no engagement with apprenticeships.The Government has established The Careers & Enterprise Company to play a lead role in transforming the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people. The Company is rolling out an Enterprise Adviser Network to help schools and colleges develop closer links with business. The Company has appointed 1190 Enterprise Advisers and 78 Enterprise Coordinators, connecting over 900 schools and colleges. The Enterprise Advisers have been briefed on apprenticeships and will take the messages promoting apprenticeships into schools as an essential part of a wide offer of careers information.The National Careers Service provides independent, professional advice on careers, skills and the labour market, including on the benefits of apprenticeships and how to apply for vacancies. The National Careers Service website is one of a number of careers websites used by schools that adopts the National Apprenticeship Service “Find an Apprenticeship” vacancy live feed.The four-year ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign, which launched in May 2016, aims to influence public perceptions, awareness and attitudes towards apprenticeships as a route into a successful career, helping young people aged 14-24 to get the skills they need and encouraging more young people to apply and more employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities.

Students: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of university students fund their studies without a student loan or other financial assistance from the state.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government administrations. Statistics covering loans administered through the English loan system are published annually by the SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’, available at:http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/full-catalogue-of-official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspxLatest information on the number of students who were estimated to meet the eligibility criteria for full-time English Tuition Fee Loans and who received such a loan from the SLC in the academic year 2013/14 is available in Table 4B(ii) of the SFR. The figures show that, in 2013/14, an estimated 10 per cent of students at public providers of higher education who met the eligibility criteria for English Tuition Fee Loans did not take up such a loan to fund their studies.Statistics on loan take-up in the academic year 2014/15 will be published by the SLC on 30 November 2016.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the introduction of the 30-hour free childcare entitlement on sessional early years provision in rural areas.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department recognises that providers and families living and operating in rural communities are faced with particular barriers in regards to accessing and delivering childcare. We are therefore looking at what those challenges are and how they can be addressed as part of our Early Implementation of the 30 Hours Free Childcare entitlement. Northumberland, one of our early implementer local authorities, is looking specifically at how the extended hours work for and impact on providers operating within the most rural postcodes in Northumberland. Since September, over 500 children in the most rural parts of Northumberland have been benefiting from a 30 hours free childcare place a year early. We have also recently consulted on a comprehensive set of reforms to the early years funding system, and one of our proposals is to allow local authorities to use a rurality/sparsity supplement in their local funding formulae, in recognition that there may be unavoidable higher costs to providers operating in sparsely populated, rural areas. We are currently considering all responses to the consultation and are planning to publish the government’s response shortly.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on early years funding.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government’s recent consultation ‘Early years funding: changes to funding for 3- and 4-year-olds’ closed on 22 September 2016. We are analysing responses and are on track to publish the Government Response shortly.

Grammar Schools: Bradford

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for academic selection in the Bradford district.

Nick Gibb: We want to build a country that works for everyone – and that means providing a good school place for every child, that offers them the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Any plans to increase academic selection in the Bradford district will be based on local demand. That is why we are consulting on this issue, and I encourage anyone with an interest to respond to the consultation.

Schools: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to bring forward the fair funding formula.

Nick Gibb: The government is committed to introducing national funding formulae for early years, schools and high needs, so that funding is better matched to need.We will introduce a national funding formula for early years from financial year 2017-18. A consultation on the early years formula closed on 22 September, and we will set out our response later in the autumn.We will introduce national funding formulae for schools and high needs from financial year 2018-19. We are considering the options carefully, taking into account the need to give schools and local authorities stability. We will put forward our detailed proposals later in the autumn, including our proposals for the transition to the formulae. Following a full consultation, we will make final decisions and confirm arrangements in the new year.

Apprentices

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the Government plans to spend on apprenticeships in the 2017-18 academic year.

Robert Halfon: We are committed to growing the quality and number of apprenticeships so that even more people have the opportunity to get on in life. That’s why in the 2017-18 academic year, we are making available over £2 billion for apprenticeships. We are doubling the annual level of spending on apprenticeships between 2010-11 and 2019-20 in cash terms to £2.5billion.

Apprentices

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of 16 to 18 year olds who take up apprenticeships.

Robert Halfon: Our ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign is encouraging more young people to apply and more employers to offer opportunities.We are increasing traineeships numbers to further support young people into apprenticeships and other work.Under new funding policy, there will be extra payments for 16-18 year olds and 19-24 year old care leavers or with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Employers and providers receive £1,000 each to support additional costs associated with these apprentices.

*No heading*

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK's decision to leave the EU on student and staff numbers in the higher education sector.

Joseph Johnson: EU students and staff make an important contribution to our world class Higher Education sector, and we want that to continue. Any effects on student and staff numbers following the UK's exit from the EU will be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK's relationship with the EU.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Football Association: Finance

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much public funding was given to the Football Association in each of the last five years.

Tracey Crouch: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 October 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Since 2010, the Government has invested, via Sport England £57.3 million of National Lottery and Exchequer funding to the FA to help grow and sustain grassroots football participation in this country. That equates to £8,176,302m in 2010/11; £5,550,910m in 2011/12; £5,042,685 in 2012/13; £10,287,050m in 2013/14; £9,175,259m in 2014/15 and £9,345,964m over this last year. Since 2010, the Government has invested, via Sport England £56,031,671 million of National Lottery and Exchequer funding to the FA to help grow and sustain grassroots football participation in this country. That equates to £8,176,302m in 2010/11; £5,550,910m in 2011/12; £5,042,685 in 2012/13; £10,287,050m in 2013/14; £9,175,259m in 2014/15 and £9,345,964m in 2015/16 and 8,453,501 over this last year.

Tracey Crouch: Since 2010, the Government has invested, via Sport England £57.3 million of National Lottery and Exchequer funding to the FA to help grow and sustain grassroots football participation in this country. That equates to £8,176,302m in 2010/11; £5,550,910m in 2011/12; £5,042,685 in 2012/13; £10,287,050m in 2013/14; £9,175,259m in 2014/15 and £9,345,964m over this last year. Since 2010, the Government has invested, via Sport England £56,031,671 million of National Lottery and Exchequer funding to the FA to help grow and sustain grassroots football participation in this country. That equates to £8,176,302m in 2010/11; £5,550,910m in 2011/12; £5,042,685 in 2012/13; £10,287,050m in 2013/14; £9,175,259m in 2014/15 and £9,345,964m in 2015/16 and 8,453,501 over this last year.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Homelessness

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the new household benefit cap on homelessness.

Caroline Nokes: I am replying to this question as assessments of the effect of the benefit cap are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.Evaluation evidence in relation to the existing cap showed very little, if any, impact on homelessness as a direct result of the cap. The small numbers of capped households who have been evicted were noted by Local Authorities as having other reasons for rent arrears and also failing to engage with relevant services; they were considered intentionally homeless.Where claimants need further financial support with their housing costs in order to adjust to the benefit cap, for example while they find work or move to more suitable accommodation, Local Authorities can provide additional support through the use of Discretionary Housing Payments.To help Local Authorities protect the most vulnerable and to support households adjusting to the reforms, the Government will provide £870 million funding for the Discretionary Housing Payments scheme over the next 5 years.

National Insurance: Older People

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many live national insurance numbers there currently are (a) in total and (b) for people aged over 100.

Caroline Nokes: The latest available figures (06/11/2016) show approximately92 million National Insurance number (NINo) records on the Department’s Customer Information System (CIS). These consist of approximately:69 million – Live Adult NINo records23 million – Deceased Adult NINo recordsThe information on how many National Insurance numbers are held for people over 100 is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of foreign children adopted by UK parents who are not eligible for disability living allowance because of the past presence rule.

Caroline Nokes: I am replying to this question as assessments of the effect of the benefit cap are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.Evaluation evidence in relation to the existing cap showed very little, if any, impact on homelessness as a direct result of the cap. The small numbers of capped households who have been evicted were noted by Local Authorities as having other reasons for rent arrears and also failing to engage with relevant services; they were considered intentionally homeless.Where claimants need further financial support with their housing costs in order to adjust to the benefit cap, for example while they find work or move to more suitable accommodation, Local Authorities can provide additional support through the use of Discretionary Housing Payments.To help Local Authorities protect the most vulnerable and to support households adjusting to the reforms, the Government will provide £870 million funding for the Discretionary Housing Payments scheme over the next 5 years.

Ministry of Defence

War Widows: Pensions

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 16 July 2015 to Question 6874, if he will make an estimate of the cost of reinstating war pensions to widows who surrendered their pension due to marriage or cohabitation.

Mark Lancaster: There are currently no plans to restore War Widows Pensions to those who had surrendered it on re-marriage or cohabitation. I have, however, asked Ministry of Defence officials to continue to consider potential options, including their costs.

Type 45 Destroyers

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide details of all minor defects requiring repair on each of the Type 45 destroyers on the day this Question is received by his Department; and when each of those defects was first recorded.

Harriett Baldwin: I am withholding information on the details of defects on each of the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers as the disclosure would, or would likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces and for the purpose of safeguarding national security. We have previously released historical information related to the number of Operational Defects on the Type 45 Destroyers and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 February 2016 to Question 25004 by my predecessor.



Type 45 Destroyers
(Word Document, 16.25 KB)

Armed Forces: Housing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's report, a Better Defence Estate, published in November 2016, page 38, where he plans to hold the industry day described in that report.

Mark Lancaster: The industry day will be held in London, the date is yet to be confirmed. Further information will be available by the end of the year.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regular armed forces personnel (a) were based in Scotland in each year since 2010 and (b) his Department plans to have based in Scotland in 2020.

Mike Penning: Information on the number of Regular Armed Forces personnel who were based in Scotland in each year since 2010 is shown below. Force levels in Scotland are being reviewed. As a result of a number of capability enhancements, transitions and consolidation measures, Force levels are expected to rise.  DateNumber of UK Regular Armed Forces Personnel1 April 201012,0801 April 201112,0901 April 201211,1901 April 201311,1401 April 201410,6001 April 20159,4601 April 201610,320 NoteComprises Naval Service, Army and Royal Air Force personnel (excluding Gurkha, Volunteer Reserve and Other personnel)..

Home Office

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what dates meetings were held between Dame Lowell Goddard and officials of her Department between the date of her appointment as chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the date of her departure from that position.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 21 October 2016



Dame Lowell Goddard met with the Permanent Secretary on the following dates between the date that her appointment commenced on 6 April 2015 and resignation on 4 August 2016:• 21 April 2015• 18 May 2016The Permanent Secretary set this out in a letter of 28 October to the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee. There was also a meeting between Dame Lowell Goddard and the former Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime on 7 December 2015 at which Home Office officials were also present.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what correspondence she has received from legal counsel for the independent investigation into child sexual abuse relating to the conduct of (a) Dame Lowell Goddard and (b) Ben Emmerson QC between the date of their appointment to the inquiry and the dates of their departure.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 24 October 2016



The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse was established under the Inquiries Act 2005 on 12 March 2015. Dame Lowell resigned as chair of the Inquiry on 4 August 2016. Ben Emmerson QC resigned as counsel to the Inquiry on 29 September 2016.The Home Secretary has received no correspondence from Counsel to the Inquiry relating to the conduct of either Dame Lowell or Mr Emmerson between the dates of their appointment to the Inquiry and the dates of their departure.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when (a) she and (b) her Department's officials have met John O'Brien, Secretary of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse since his appointment to that position.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 24 October 2016



The Home Secretary has not met the Secretary to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.Home Office officials meet regularly with the Secretary to the Inquiry as part of the sponsorship responsibilities.

Home Office: Apprentices

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many apprenticeships have been created in her Department in each region in each of the last five years; and how many participants in those apprenticeships subsequently secured a job within the Civil Service.

Sarah Newton: In light of the Government’s manifesto commitment to achieve three million new appren-ticeship starts in England by the end of the Parliament, the Cabinet Office will be centrally collecting data on apprenticeships to allow the Civil Service to report on its contribution towards the national target.Prior to 1st April 2015 the Home Department did not centrally record apprenticeships.From 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016 there were 30 apprentices who started in the Home Department. From 1st April 2016 to date (as of 28/10/16) 45 apprentices started in the Home Department.All of apprentices that started post 1st April 2015 are only part way through their assignments and therefore have not secured permanent positions within the civil service.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department was first notified by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse that an allegation of sexual assault had been made against Ben Emmerson QC.

Sarah Newton: The Independent Inquiry informed the Home Office on 28 September of concerns about Ben Emmerson’s leadership of the counsel team which did not include reference to an alleged sexual assault. It was made clear that no complaint had been made.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department was consulted by staff working for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse on that Inquiry's decision to procure the services of an external facilitator to assist in addressing tensions between Dame Lowell Goddard and other inquiry officials.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office was not consulted on the Inquiry's decision to procure the services of an external facilitator.

Voluntary Work: Harassment

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure charitable workers and volunteers are safe from harassment and abuse.

Sarah Newton: The Government is absolutely clear that harassment and abuse in whatever form and whoever the target is totally unacceptable. This includes harassment committed in person, or using phones or the internet.There is a robust legal framework to tackle offline and online harassment and abuse provided by the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, and offences in the Malicious Communications Act 1998 and the Communications Act 2003.New Authorised Police Professional Practice on stalking and harassment is currently being developed by the College of Policing, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate will shortly be commencing a joint inspection of how stalking and harassment are handled by police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), including the service received by victims.

Cannabis

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will respond to the recommendations of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reforms Accessing Medicinal Cannabis: Meeting Patients' Needs, published in September 2016.

Sarah Newton: The Prime Minister responded to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform’s report ‘Accessing Medicinal Cannabis: Meeting Patients' Needs’ on the 27 October.Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and, in its raw form, currently has no recognised medicinal benefits in the UK. It is therefore listed as a Schedule 1 drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.It is important that all medicines containing controlled drugs are thoroughly trialled to ensure they meet rigorous standards so that doctors and patients are sure of their efficacy and safety. To do otherwise for cannabis would amount to a circumvention of the clearly established and necessary regime for approving medicines in the UK.

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to give the Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Professor Alexis Jay, access to a full copy of the Macur Review with the redacted sections reinstated.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to give panel members of the Independent Inquiry in Child Sexual Abuse access to a full copy of the Macur Review with the redacted sections reinstated.

Sarah Newton: As the then Secretary of State for Wales confirmed in the House on 17 March 2016, a full and unredacted version of the Macur Review has already been provided to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (Volume 607 Column 1111).

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has allocated resources to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in order to provide witnesses with mental health support.

Sarah Newton: On 12 March 2015 the former Home Secretary established the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse under the Inquiries Act 2005. The Inquiry is independent of the Government and is responsible for the management of its own budget and the publication of its own financial reports.The most recent financial report was published by the Inquiry on 15 September 2016. It is available at:https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/808/view/2015-2016-Inquiry-Financial-Report.pdf

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

India: Elephants

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the Indian government in its efforts to protect Indian elephants.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The then Prime Minister David Cameron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in London in November 2015 and issued a joint statement in which they resolved to work together to improve protection for both captive and wild Asian elephants. Further official level discussions have taken place with the Indian High Commission to clarify the issues and discuss specific areas on which we might work constructively beyond the international forums such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which already exist. Within CITES the UK has led on securing agreement to measures to increase focus on protecting Asian elephants. These include the strengthening of national legislation and enforcement to combat illegal trade in live Asian elephants, for range countries to develop strategies to manage their captive domestic populations and to develop and apply a regional registration and marking system covering domestic Asian elephants.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Students

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on measures to (a) encourage and (b) require education institutions to adopt a model of integrated voter registration with academic enrolment.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which higher education institutions have introduced a model of integrated voter registration with academic enrolment; and in which year those institutions introduced such a model.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of integrating academic enrolment at universities with voter registration.

Chris Skidmore: The Government supported a successful project at the University of Sheffield to integrate electoral registration with student enrolment. We intend to publish the outcomes of this project in due course. While we do not support mandating universities to implement the system we intend to encourage wider take up, on a voluntary basis, by universities and colleges with the appetite and technical infrastructure to adopt the model. We also intend to gather evidence on the extent to which universities have integrated or plan to integrate electoral registration with student enrolment.I have discussed this issue with the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation and we will continue to work together to provide support to improve student electoral registration.

Cancer: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children have been diagnosed with cancer in each of the last five years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Cancer
(PDF Document, 71.17 KB)

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government has taken to implement the recommendations of the Macur Review on preserving and correctly archiving materials, including computer records.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government has taken to implement the recommendation of the Macur Review on ensuring that government departments possess an accurate database of the documents and materials held by them.

Chris Skidmore: Departments are required to maintain records in compliance with the Public Records Act 1958, and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and have record keeping systems in place. The National Archives monitors compliance and regularly conducts and publishes Information Management Assessments of departments.The Government accepted Sir Alex Allan's recommendations, published on 17 December 2015, that more needs to be done to ensure that departments are capturing and maintaining accurate records. The Cabinet Office is working with departments and The National Archives to deliver this.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: South Africa

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will pursue a free trade deal between the UK and South Africa after the UK has left the EU.

Greg Hands: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 November 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy as the UK prepares to leave the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate and design, in time, our own trade arrangements with African countries like South Africa.

Greg Hands: The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy as the UK prepares to leave the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate and design, in time, our own trade arrangements with African countries like South Africa.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Learning Disability

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how many people in the House of Commons Service have learning disabilities.

Tom Brake: The percentage of people working for the House Service who have declared a disability is 3%. We do not report on what type of disability people declare.The House has a track record of working with organisations who support adults with learning disabilities to secure paid employment or work experience with us. This includes through the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme, the House of Commons Apprenticeship Scheme, and participating – with ParliAble – in Inclusive Employers and Mencap’s Learning Disabilities Work Experience Week, as well as through standard recruitment and selection practices.The House of Commons is a Partner of the Business Disability Forum. This year we participated in the BDF’s Disability Standard, which measures organisations against 10 criteria, including recruitment and adjustments. We improved our score of 42% in 2013 to 83%, achieving Silver accreditation.

Department of Health

Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on developing a tobacco control strategy.

Nicola Blackwood: The United Kingdom is a world leader in tobacco control and the government has a proven track record in reducing harm caused by tobacco, through the introduction of standardised packaging, the display ban on tobacco in small shops, and ending smoking in cars with children. The Government is developing a new tobacco control plan which will build on our success in reducing smoking rates to date.

Nursing Associates

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the specific role is of nursing associates; and what effect that role has on the role of qualified nurses.

Mr Philip Dunne: The new Nursing Associate role will create a bridge between senior healthcare support workers with a Care Certificate and registered nurses. Nurse Associates will work with healthcare support workers to deliver hands on care, freeing up registered nurses, so they can spend more time using their specialist training to focus on clinical duties and to take more of a lead in decisions on patient care.

Obesity: Children

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to implement his Department's childhood obesity strategy.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department is working closely with Public Health England, the National Health Service, local authorities, schools and other partners as we implement the Childhood Obesity Plan. The Department is already taking firm action, including consulting on the soft drinks industry levy and launching a broad sugar reduction programme. This is already showing results, as has been seen in the recent announcements by Tesco and Lucozade about cutting sugar in their drinks.

General Practitioners

Matt Warman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on implementing the GP Forward View strategy.

David Mowat: The General Practioner Forward View announced that investment in general practice will increase from £9.6 billion in 2015-16 to more than £12 billion by 2020-21. Work is underway to increase the primary care workforce and reduce workload, to improve primary care estates and infrastructure, and to redesign care and spread innovation throughout the country.

NHS: Corruption and Fraud

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing arrangements for investigating fraud and corruption in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Protect was established in 2011 to investigate the most serious cases of fraud, which last year cost the National Health Service £6.5 million. NHS Protect is currently investigating allegations of fraud and corruption with a potential value in excess of £25 million.